Calorie Needs (Mifflin–St Jeor)

Name: Calorie Needs (Mifflin–St Jeor) calculator — MedScore
Creator: Nabil Alzein

Estimated daily energy needs of a healthy adult: Mifflin–St Jeor resting energy expenditure × FAO/WHO/UNU physical activity level

Sex

Male

Female

Age (years)

Body weight

Height

Physical activity level (FAO/WHO/UNU 2004)

Sedentary or light activity (PAL 1.40–1.69) — work with little physical effort, little walking or exercise

Active or moderately active (PAL 1.70–1.99) — more strenuous work, or regular daily exercise

Vigorous (PAL 2.00–2.40) — heavy manual work, or vigorous exercise for several hours a day

Choose sex and enter age, weight and height to calculate

About this score

When to use

Estimates resting energy expenditure with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation and multiplies it by an FAO/WHO physical activity level to estimate daily energy needs. ⁦[1, 2]⁩

Pearls and pitfalls

• The equation was developed in healthy individuals: REE = 10 × weight + 6.25 × height − 5 × age, +5 for men and −161 for women. ⁦[1]⁩

• Activity levels: 1.40–1.69 sedentary or light, 1.70–1.99 active, 2.00–2.40 vigorous; values above 2.40 are difficult to maintain for long. ⁦[2]⁩

Summarised from the numbered sources under Evidence. Check the source before relying on a statement.

Evidence

[1] Original publication

Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. REE = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age (y) + 5 for men and − 161 for women.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990

Open source

[2] Guideline

FAO/WHO/UNU. Human energy requirements: report of a joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation (Food and Nutrition Technical Report Series 1). Rome: FAO; 2004. Table 5.3: physical activity level (PAL) 1.40–1.69 sedentary or light activity, 1.70–1.99 active or moderately active, 2.00–2.40 vigorous lifestyle; PAL values above 2.40 are difficult to maintain for long. The report multiplies PAL by basal metabolic rate; using the Mifflin–St Jeor resting energy expenditure in its place gives an estimate only. Both were derived in healthy people (Mifflin–St Jeor in healthy adults); acute illness, pregnancy and children are outside their scope.

Open source

Last reviewed: 2026-10

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MedScore is an educational and clinical decision-support tool. It does not provide a diagnosis, a treatment, or a drug-dosing recommendation, and it does not replace clinical judgement or local guidelines. Confirm every result against the original source before acting on it. The treating clinician remains responsible for all decisions.